1
UNIVERSIDAD INTERAMERICANA DE PUERTO RICO
RECINTO METROPOLITANO
DEPARTAMENTO DE EDUCACIÓN Y PROFESIONES DE LA CONDUCTA
PROGRAMA DE PSICOLOGÍA
PROF. NOÉ GARCIA
PSYCH 4971
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ASSIGNMENT #1
As we discussed on the first day of class, one of the objectives of this integrated seminar
is that you develop an article (or analytic essay) in which you provide a Meta-Analysis of a
specific subject matter in the field of Psychology. This first assignment is the necessary initial
step on starting said type of analysis: choose a subject matter and a particular “instance” of that
subject matter you wish to review. As you will see later on, this “instance” has to do with
reviewing a particular application of a theory, model, therapy, assessment or intervention, which
will be the basis of your other assignments. For now we will call this choosing your “Problem”
for Meta-Analysis. Later on, in another assignment, you will need to review literature regarding
meta-analysis done on this “Problem” and what is, more or less, the consensus regarding
empirically-based or evidenced-based research analysis. So, please choose as precisely as you
can.
Write a brief paragraph where you present your “Problem” for Meta-Analysis. Try to be
as specific as possible. Write at least one paragraph (a minimum of 3 to 4 sentences) in which
you identify and describe the following four objects of your “Problem”: 1) the subject matter,
topic or object you wish to study (that which is the “problem” you wish to revise); 2) the model,
therapy, theory (or school of thought), approach or assessment you are interested in revising in
the field of Psychology (in can be multiple); 3) the population that you are most interested in
studying; 4) what division or aspect of the practice and profession of Psychology are you most
interested in revising (think of the usual divisions given in graduate studies and usual offering in
the profession). Once again, try to be precise and if unsure you can pick more than one option for
each of the four objects of your “Problem”.
Said paragraph must be "handed in" (printed on paper) on March/05/2019. The text must
be written using the following format: Times New Roman font (size 12) and 1.5 spacing between
lines and paragraphs. You have to send a copy of the submitted work via e-mail too. This
assignment is worth ten (10) points.
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If you are still unsure on what your research topic is or how to describe it in a specific
matter, here are a few tips that are usually good when trying to a topic research-wise:
1) Here's a good guideline of W's (and a "How") that might be helpful when beginning your
search for choosing a research topic:
a. What: It tends to identity and describes a particular subject matter. It takes into
consideration a more existential, ontological or phenomenological point of view.
b. Why: It tries to explain the conditions and proc.
1 UNIVERSIDAD INTERAMERICANA DE PUERTO RICO RECINTO.docx
1. 1
UNIVERSIDAD INTERAMERICANA DE PUERTO RICO
RECINTO METROPOLITANO
DEPARTAMENTO DE EDUCACIÓN Y PROFESIONES DE LA
CONDUCTA
PROGRAMA DE PSICOLOGÍA
PROF. NOÉ GARCIA
PSYCH 4971
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ASSIGNMENT #1
As we discussed on the first day of class, one of the objectives
of this integrated seminar
is that you develop an article (or analytic essay) in which you
provide a Meta-Analysis of a
specific subject matter in the field of Psychology. This first
assignment is the necessary initial
step on starting said type of analysis: choose a subject matter
and a particular “instance” of that
subject matter you wish to review. As you will see later on, this
“instance” has to do with
2. reviewing a particular application of a theory, model, therapy,
assessment or intervention, which
will be the basis of your other assignments. For now we will
call this choosing your “Problem”
for Meta-Analysis. Later on, in another assignment, you will
need to review literature regarding
meta-analysis done on this “Problem” and what is, more or less,
the consensus regarding
empirically-based or evidenced-based research analysis. So,
please choose as precisely as you
can.
Write a brief paragraph where you present your “Problem” for
Meta-Analysis. Try to be
as specific as possible. Write at least one paragraph (a
minimum of 3 to 4 sentences) in which
you identify and describe the following four objects of your
“Problem”: 1) the subject matter,
topic or object you wish to study (that which is the “problem”
you wish to revise); 2) the model,
therapy, theory (or school of thought), approach or assessment
you are interested in revising in
the field of Psychology (in can be multiple); 3) the population
that you are most interested in
3. studying; 4) what division or aspect of the practice and
profession of Psychology are you most
interested in revising (think of the usual divisions given in
graduate studies and usual offering in
the profession). Once again, try to be precise and if unsure you
can pick more than one option for
each of the four objects of your “Problem”.
Said paragraph must be "handed in" (printed on paper) on
March/05/2019. The text must
be written using the following format: Times New Roman font
(size 12) and 1.5 spacing between
lines and paragraphs. You have to send a copy of the submitted
work via e-mail too. This
assignment is worth ten (10) points.
2
If you are still unsure on what your research topic is or how to
describe it in a specific
matter, here are a few tips that are usually good when trying to
a topic research-wise:
1) Here's a good guideline of W's (and a "How") that might be
helpful when beginning your
4. search for choosing a research topic:
a. What: It tends to identity and describes a particular subject
matter. It takes into
consideration a more existential, ontological or
phenomenological point of view.
b. Why: It tries to explain the conditions and processes for the
emergence of a
particular event, subject or object.
c. Where: It focuses on the physical, cognitive or social space
associated with the
subject matter.
d. Whom: It helps to delimitate my subject matter if I have a
specific population in
mind, either in terms of age, gender, sexuality, occupation,
economical status,
ethnicity, culture, nationality.
e. When: Sometimes you might need to study specific temporal
and physical
instances of an event, either in terms of development or in terms
of a fixated time-
line.
f. How: It usually focuses on the description of processes,
actions and activities in a
5. particular event or situation
2) Are you more interested in studying:
a. the relationship between two events, objects or processes (for
example, the
relationship between violence and media)?
b. the conditions for the emergence of a certain
psychopathological condition (for
example, what causes schizophrenia)?
c. how certain events, populations or groups are perceived and
signified (for
example, how and/or why are "poor people" are perceived as
"lazy" and the
implications of such problematic correlations)? You might also
be interested in
how certain groups signify their experiences (for example how
blind people see
colors or how methadone patients perceive progress and
rehabilitation).
d. the uses of certain activities or kinds of specific knowledge
and its effect on a
population (for example, how psychiatric or psychological
diagnosis can be
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misused and how they can become social stigmas for certain
populations, for
example ADHD in children or depression in Latino women)?
3) Am I more inclined to study my topic:
a. in a clinical or psycho-therapeutic context (which involves a
specific theory
regarding psychopathology or the classification of "mental
diseases" or
"disorders")?
b. in a cognitive-educational context (how people learn,
appropriate or adapt certain
activities)?
c. in a biopsychological context (to understand the biochemical
and/or neurological
processes involved in certain behaviors and cognitive
processes)?
d. in a social-psychological setting (how certain events depend
on social-economic
conditions, community relations, etc.)?
7. 4) Am I really interested in this subject matter? If you're going
to do research on a topic, bear
in mind that you will be reading a lot of material and if you are
not interested the process
will become tedious, boring and quite possibly frustrating.
Choose something you are
genuinely interested in, and try to put in the context of research
in Psychology.
